Internal combustion engine



y 1934. F. B. STEARNS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Original Filed July 9, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 INVENTOR.

fiankBa/lau Sfear BY 8 F z ATTORNEY.

1934- F. B. STEARNS- I ,959,278

( INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Original Filed July'9. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuwntor E'ank Bafiau Sfzaras @Qq M Patented May 15, 1934 PATENT OFFKIE 7 1,959,278 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Frank Ballou Stearns, Shaker Heights, Ohio Original application July 9, 1928, Serial No.

291,217. Divided and this application September 3, 1930, Serial No. 479,479

11 Claims. (01. 123-182) My invention relates to internal combustion engines and relates more particularly to internal combustion engines of the fuel injection type, although not limited thereto.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved adjusting mechanism for the valve controlling mechanism of an internal combustion engine.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved form of two-cycle internal combustion engine which will operate efficiently and workably over a wide range of operating speeds.

Another object of my invention is to provide an v improved compression release mechanism for the tion itself will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of my invention, and in which description reference 'will be had to the accompanying drawings illustrating the said embodiment.

My compression relief mechanism for starting purposes is preferably used in connection with internal combustion engines of the type illustrated in my co-pending application for United States Letters Patent, filed July 9, 1928, for Internal combustion engines, bearing Serial No. 291,217, of which this is a divisional application, although not limited thereto.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates in side sectional view a fragment of a six-cylinder two-cycle engine of the Diesel type.

Fig. 2 is a side View of two cylinders having a common cylinder head, part of the view being in elevation, and part of the view being in longi tudinal medial section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the cam employed in the form of mechanism shownin Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring now to the figures of drawings in all of which like parts are designated by like reference characters:

In Figures 1 and 2, each successive pair of cylinders is shown provided with a common cylinder head, there being, therefore, three cylinder heads for the six cylinders. For each cylinder a compression relief valve 1 is provided having a stem projected upwardly through the cylinder head 2, a pair of such valve stems, 3 and 4, for adjacent cylinders being best illustrated in Fig. 2 as converging toward their upper ends and terminating in cam face engaging heads 5 and 6, adapted to simultaneously engage the flattened surface portions 7 and 8 respectively, of a common rotary cam 9 provided for the adjacent pair of cylinders.

Each of the valves 1 is pressed to seat in its 69 valve port, such as 10, in the head of its respective cylinder by compression springs 11, which are disposed between an end wall 12 in a recess of the cylinder head 2 and with a flanged collar 13, carried on the head of the valve stem.

When the cam 9 is rotated by the shaft 14, the heads 5 and 6 for the valve stems 3 and 4, respectively, will be caused to engage the non-flattened surfaces of the cam disposed more distant radially from the axis of the shaft than the flattened surface portions '7 and 8 to effect downward pressure on the valve stems against the power of the valve springs to slightly open the valves 1, pressing them downward from their seats.

Gases under pressure in the cylinder chamber 15, will be partially relieved from the tandem ducts 16 and 17 for the associated pair of cylinders, discharging through an exhaust port 18. To operate all of the compression relief valves,simultaneously, means are provided for simultaneously rocking the cam supporting shaft 14 for each adjacent pair of cylinders, comprising a manually operated lever pivoted at 19, and adapted'to reciprocate a rod 20 which extends longitudinally of the engine adjacent the cylinder heads;

To communicate motion from the rod 20 to the cam shaft 14, cam shaft levers 21 are provided, one being keyed to each cam shaft andits free end being pivotally connected to the operating rod 20.

Therefore, reciprocation of the handle 22 on its pivot 19 will reciprocate the rod 20 to effect an angular rotational movement to the different cam shafts 14 through their respective operating levers 21, to unseat all of the valves 1, a predetermined corresponding amount, according to the movement of the handle 22.

It will be noticed, that, for instance, by rotating the flattened cam face 8 to a position of engagement with the head 5 for the alternate valve stem 3, the movement of the handle 22 to effect this will effect a compression relief, of alternate cylinders only.

I preferably time the engine cylinders to fire in the order of the placement, and relative to the 105 direction of flow of the exhaust gases through the tandem exhaust pipes which extend along the two sides of the aligned cylinders.

In the starting of the engine having a plurality of aligned cylinders fired sequentially, the relief 110 of compression in alternately disposed cylinders is productive of a more nearly uniform torque upon the starting mechanism than an arrangement wherein compression is released in non-sequentially disposed. cylinders, of equal number, comprising half of the total number of cylinders.

The compression relieving mechanism disclosed herein, includingthe common cam 9,disposed between pairs of cylinders, lends itself in a structurally economical manner to the veryadvantageous method of starting wherein with sub stantially uniform reduced starting torque, onehalf of the cylinders relatively symmetrically disposed are in most efficient condition for firing, Having thus described my invention in a specific embodiment, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made from the embodi-i ment herein illustrated and described, but without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine comprising a pair of adjacent cylinders, a common head for the pair of, cylinders, a ,compression relief valve for each of the cylinders, and a common cam-movable to different selected positions for effecting actuation of the relief valves simultaneously or singly. 1

2. In amulti-cylinder internal combustion engine comprising a pair of adjacent parallel cylinders, a common head for the pair, of cylinders, a compression relief valve for each of the cylinders, and a common cam for effecting actuation of the relief valves simultaneously or singly,;a

' tending convergingly from the cylinders, said cam disposed for engagement with the converged ends of the stem.

3. In a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine comprising a pair of adjacent parallel cylinders, a common head for the pair of cylinders, a compression relief, valve for each of the cylinders, and a common cam for effecting actuation of the relief valves simultaneously or singly, a stemfor each of said relief valves, said stems extending convergingly from the cylinders, said cam dis: posed for engagement with the: converged ends of the stem, said cam comprising a pair of likerelieved cam surfaces disposed adjacent each, to the other and-disposed at equal. angles to radii of the cam.

4. In a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine' comprising a pair of adjacent parallel cylinders, a common head for the pairof cylinders, a compression relief valve for each of the cylinders, and a common cam for effecting simultaneous actuation of the relief valves, a stem for each. of said relief valves, said stems. extending converg+ ingly from the cylinders,- saidcam disposed for engagement with the converged ends of the stem, said cam comprising a pair of like relieved cam surfaces disposed adjacent each to the other and disposed at equal angles to radii of the cam, said portions-being joined at their opposite outer portions by. a parti-annular.surface, said cam rotatable, in either direction and tovarying degrees to vary the relief afforded-by one of the valvesrelative to' the other..-:-1*

5. In a multi-cylinder internal combustion en'- gine comprising a pair of adjacent cylinders, a compression relief valve for each of the cylinders, and a common cam movable to different selective positions for effecting actuation of the valves simultaneously or singly.

6. In a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine comprising a pair of adjacent cylinders, a compression relief valve for each of the cylinders, and a common operable means associated with the valves and movable to different selective positions to effect actuation of the valves simultaneously or singly.

'7. In a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine comprising a pair of adjacent cylinders, a compression relief valve for each of the cylinders, and a common operable means associated with the valvesand movable to different selective positions toeffect actuation of the valves simultaneously or either valve singly.

8. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality ,of adjacent pairs of cylinders, a compression relief valvefor each of the cylinders, operable means associated with the valves of each pair of cylinders and-each means movable to different selective positions to effect actuation of the valves singly orsimultaneously, and a common operating means for simultaneously actuating all of the operable means;

9 In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of adjacent-pairs of cylinders, a compression reliefv valve for each of the cylinders, operable-means associated with the valves of each pair of cylinders andeach means movable to dif ferent selective positionsto effect actuation of the; valves singly or simultaneously, and a common operating means for simultaneously actuating all of the operable means, and the several operable means being operativelyinter-related so that the plurality of cylinders may be selectively relieved allsimultaneously or in a group of alternate cylinders.

10. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of adjacent pairs ofcylinders, a compression relief valve for each,of the cylinders, operable means associatedwith thevalves of each pair of cylinders andmovable to-different selective positions to. effect-actuation of the valves simultaneously or either valve singly, and a common operating means for simultaneously actuating all of the operable means.

11. In an internal; combustion engine, a plurality of adjacent. pairs of cylinders, a compression relief valve for each of the cylinders, operable means associated With the valves of each pair of cylinders and movable to different selective nqsitionsto effect actuation of the valves simultaneously or either valve singly, and a common operating means for simultaneously actuating all of the operable means, and the several operable means being operatively inter-related so that the plurality of cylinders may beselectively relieved all simultaneously or in either one of two groups of alternate cylinders.

FRANK B. sTEARN's. 

